The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson

June 10, 2018

Detailed account of the collaborative, fascinating journey from mechanical calculators to our modern internet.

I’ve never fully appreciated how many steps of technological advancement immediately followed previous innovations, how casually some brilliant thinkers seemed to clearly envision the future, or how many hugely important turning points were defined—for better or worse—by a seemingly small decision. A long and interesting read.

I’ve also realized that I have some kind of nostalgia for the early internet in which I barely participated, if at all. It was more personal, more about connecting directly with others in different places and hacking on things, not yet a vastly commercialized atmosphere. I liked the concept of the “slow web” that seemed to get some attention a few years ago, and I wonder if it amounts to mere nostalgia or touches something fundamentally important that’s been slipping away.

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